Beehive



K. P. KIDDER.

Bee Hive. l

' UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

K. P. KIDDER, OF BURLINGTON, VERMONT.

BEEHIVE.

Specicaton of Letters Patent No. 19,931, dated April 13, 1858'.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, KIMBALL4 P. KIDDER, of Burlington, in the county ofChittenden and State of Vermont, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Beehives; and I do hereby declare the following to be afull, clear, and exact description of the const-ruction and operation ofthe same, reference being had tothe accompanying drawings, making a partof this specification, in which- Figure l represents a perspective viewof the hive in one of its forms. Figs. 2 and 3 represent verticalsections through the hive when in the position shown in Fig. l, saidsections being taken at right angles to each other". Fig. l representsin perspective the appearance of the hive in `its other form-that is,when changed from a single to a double hive. Figs. 5, 6, 7, 8, 9represent detached portions of the hive, and will be specially referredto hereafter.

Similar letters of reference where they occur in the several iguresdenote like parts of the hive in all of them.

My invention consists in the construction and arrangement of the partsof the hive, by which it may be converted from a single hive of peculiarconstruction to a double h'ive, at pleasure, or when the working of theswarm may require, and it further consists in the peculiar device forregulating the ingress or egress opening, said device being capable offour adjustments.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use m'y invention, Iwill proceed to describe the same with referencev to the drawings.

A, B, represent the upper and lower sections o the hive, the upper oneA, having a base O, of such form and size as to fit or slip into thelower section B, and leave a dead air space t between their walls orsides. When the hive is used as a single one, as shown in Figs. l, 2, 3,the dead air space a, serves to equalize the'temperature within thehive, both against the extremes of heat or cold, while ventilation maybe eii'ected through said air spaces, and the interior of the hive, byregisters Z), which expose or close the gauze covered openings throughthe outer walls of the hive. The base C, of the upper section A, isfurnished with frames c, c, which rest upon shoulders or rabbets d, e,at their top and bottoms, and may be arranged thereon at greater or lessdistances from each other, as may be desired, the parts f of said framesbeing inclined, as sho-wn in Fig. 2, to cause the bees to build the combstraight-. Through the tops of these frames there are openings z',to`allow the bees to pass from one comb -to Ianother.

g, is an inclined board, up which the bees pass to reach the frames.This board is long enough, as shown in Fig. 9, to extend clear acrossthe interior of the hive.

Over the tops of the frames 0, are placed two boards b, It, (one ofwhich is shown in full at Fig. 6,) provided with suitable passages m,and gauze-covered air openings lc, and over these boards h, are placedthe honey or working boxes D, D, (one of which is shown in full at Fig.7) also furnished with suitable passages n. There is also air space obetween the walls or sides of the boxes and the outer case. or sectionA. These boxes D, may have glass p, in one or more of their sides, andover thertops ofthe boxes there is a glass plate Q', and a removable capor cover E, so that the swarm may be warmed by the sun, when it isdesired to do so.

When the hive is to be converted from a single to a double one, the topsect-ion A, is raised up out of the lower one B, and the two division orpartition boards F, G, are laid over the top of the lower section. Theupper section is then turned half around, horizontally, and placed uponthese boards F G. The lhive then will be as shown in Fig. 4:. 1, r, ands, s, made through the boards F, Gr, so that the workingbees only or thewhole swarm may be admitted to the upper part of the hive. The parts Aand C, of the upper section are hinged together as at t, Figs. l, 2, sothat the part B, may be raised up to gain access to the interior of saidpart, a hook and eye u, o, being provided at each side to hold them fromfalling back too far apart and retain them properly.

Over the bee entrances, whether one, two. or more be used, I place apeculiar slide fw, furnished with slots 1, 2, 3, 4C, 5. A thumb screwpasses through the slot l, and presses against the plate slide w, tohold it,

when adjusted, to its proper place. Two

There are mortises or passages pins 6, 7 are arranged on the side ofthev hive, which enter the slots 4, 5, of the plate as shown at Fig. 4,and make one adjustment. When arranged as shown in Fig. l, it makes asecond adjustment, and the opening z may be enlarged or contractedfurther, even to closing it entirely, which makes a third adjustment, orthe upper part of the slide may be brought up against the pins G, 7,without their entering t-he slots 2, 3, which makes a fourth adjustment.All these adjustments are advantageous, in the management of bees, toadmit the ingress or egres of the whole swarm, or of only the workingbees, shutting out the drones, or of shutting in the queen bee, whilethe others may pass in or out, or for closing the hive against otherbees which attack and rob the hive.

Having thus fully described -the nature and object of my invention whatI claim therein as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is,

1. The particular construction of the hive so that the smaller portionmay t Within the largerporti'n, and leave a dead air space between them,or, raised up and lsupl Vjustments, as herein above set forth andexplained.

KIMBALL P. KIDDER.

Witnesses A. B. SToUGHToN, THos. H. UPPERMAN.

